§ MR. BIGGARasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If it is the fact that the Commissioners of Inland Revenue require beer retailers in Ireland, who merely desire to sell beer by retail for consumption off the premises, to take out a beer dealer's licence at an additional Duty of £3 6s. l¾d.; and, if so, is he aware that the same requirement is not enforced upon similar traders in England, although the Statute empowering the issue of such licences applies to England as well as to Ireland; if he would inform the House if the charge for such retail beer licences for England is now £1 5s., and for Ireland £4 11s.; 1¾d.;and, if so, is it his intention to rectify this anomaly in any way; and, has it been brought under his consideration that by the Inland Revenue Commissioners' order of this present month, traders proposing to become beer and wine retailers in Ireland for consumption off the premises at the rate of Licence Duty imposed by the Inland Revenue Act of last Session, are also required to pay a beer dealer's licence, thereby more than doubling the Licence Duty; and whether a similar order is in force for England?
MR. GLADSTONEIn answer to the Question of the hon. Member, I have to say that it is quite true, as stated in the Question, that there is a distinction in the amount paid by beer dealers for a licence in Ireland and that paid by boor dealers in England; but the distinction had not grown out of the recent legislalation, and has no connection whatever, as the hon. Member is well aware, with the Act of last Session. It is the fact that some of the Acts that are passed for England do not apply to Ireland, and that Justices in Ireland have not the same powers as regards licences for sale off the premises as Justices in England have. The Act of last year makes no change in the qualification on the subject. If it were deemed desirable to re-open the question of magisterial licences, there would be no objection taken by the Irish Revenue Department to allowing magistrates in Ireland the 154 same power as regards beer licences, which would have the effect of meeting all the inequalities which the hon. Gentleman complained of. It would be better, however, to put the Question to the head of the Irish Government, and on the part of the Revenue Department there will be no objection.